[Jonathan]

Some early details on Taste of the Carolinas are now available on the official website: https://www.carowinds.com/taste

Saturdays and Sundays April 18 through May 17. Food booths open from 11 a.m. until 1 hour before park closing.

Chef bios are being added including the new Carowinds executive chef Kris Siuta: https://www.carowinds.com/taste/about/chef-bios

Most importantly, the menu, some of which was sampled by Winter Warm Up attendees:

Asheville/Mountain Region
Smoked Trout Rillette Flatbread
Appalachian Cheese Plate
Mushroom Ravioli with Smoked Turkey and Wild Herb Butter
Pecan Cinnamon Bread pudding with Cream Cheese Icing

Upstate South Carolina Region
Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Balls with Cranberry Jelly
Brunswick Stew over Carolina Rice
Beef Corn Pone Pie
Sour Cherry and Fig Smoothie

Low Country Region
Fried Oyster Flatbread Po-boy
Coastal Carolina Crab Soup
Frogmore Stew
Shoofly Pie

South Carolina Barbecue Region
Pulled Pork Spring Roll with Carolina Mustard Sauce
Carolina Gold Hash and Rice
Hickory Smoked Chicken Wings
Red Velvet In and Out Cupcake

Calabash Region
Seafood Gumbo over Carolina Rice
Fried Amberjack with Calabash Hushpuppies
Grilled Corn Pudding
Vanilla Coke Boiled Peanuts over Ice Cream

Outer Banks Region
Crab Ceviche
Fried Green Tomato Soufflé
Hatteras Clam Chowder
Outer Banks Honey Gelato

Lexington Barbecue Region
Beer Basted Pulled Pork Sliders
Barbecue Chicken Slider with Lexington Sauce
Barbecue Ribs over Ketchup Slaw
Moon Pies

Charleston Region
Sweet Tea Glazed Chicken over Cabbage and Beets
Shrimp and Grits
Chicken Perloo
Sweet Potato Dumplings

Piedmont Region
Broasted Chicken with Drip Pan Potatoes
Creamed Leeks and Butter Beans over Biscuit
Neese Sausage, Fig and Goat Cheese Turn Over
Strawberry Flan with Wild Berry Glaze

[Tawny71]

The ravioli! The pimento/jalapeno cheese balls! Oh my yumminess!

I'm so hungry now.

[redrunner97]

Wow. This is a really big event! Appearances and demonstrations by renowned regional Carolina chefs, gourmet food, etc.

Carowinds is definitely making an attempt to shed that common "Cedar Fair and Six Flags just serve amusement park junk" belief. If they keep this up our park could walk home with a Golden Ticket for food in a couple years! I'm stoked about the future of Carowinds and with each of these amazing additions (be it themeing, food, shows, rides, coasters, aesthetic improvements, and so on) I only get more and more proud to call it my home park.

[CarowindsCentral]

Anyone got any word on if the dining plan covers the Taste of the Carolinas? I'd assume it would but I've assumed wrong about Carowinds things before.

[Jonathan]

I don't think that info is out yet, but I would assume it will not since Taste of the Carolinas is a special event.

[Tawny71]

I could be wrong on this…maybe I should go back and listen to this part on the video…but I thought at WWU Mike said that during Taste of the Carolinas, there would be little stands set up throughout the park with samples of the different food (and drink) offerings. I guess I was assuming those would be free. Kind of a marketing tactic to draw people in to buying the new menu items, ya know? I know that they said (not during the main presentation, but when we were talking to some of the staff during the tasting) that the new items would be available in the venues where the dining plan works, so you could get these items with the dining plan in that case.

[Edwardo]

I would imagine this will be more like Epcot's food and wine. Different stations set up and you pay per dish/drink. I highly doubt the food pass will be accepted for any of it.

[coaster129]

Can you post the link?

[Jetp]

Great menu. I am really excited about this event!

[redrunner97]

Based on what was said in the video, I presumed the portable stands were going to be set up in different areas and feature samples of a specific region's offerings with the option to purchase a meal at certain dining locations throughout the park. But I'm not sure if anyone ever specifically said how it would all work.

[Jonathan]

A member of the culinary team told me that some of the items from Taste of the Carolinas may make their way onto menus in some of the permanent dining establishments, but most will not. I'm sure that's all subject to change.

[Littlegiles]

All of that food sounds so wonderful....but there is just something drawing me in to those Jalepeno Pimento Cheese Balls. mmmmmmmmmm I must find a recipe for that.

[Jetp]

I never knew Shoofly pie was something from the low country. I grew up in PA Dutch Country and that was always something we found around that area.

[Jay]

.... I guess I was assuming those would be free. ...

If it's anything like Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, which from all indications they are trying to do, it will be between 3-6 dollars per sample. Surely much less than a "normal" meal at Carowinds, but nothing you could get full on (so you end up buying 5-6 samples...)

If you have the time you should check out the Disney Food Blog's breakdown of the Food and Wine festival, they have full menus and pictures that might give you a better idea of what Carowinds is trying to do (and hopefully how much it will cost).

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-epco ... od-photos/

(click on any country name and it will give you pictures of the booths and food from that country)

Damn, now I'm hungry...

[Edwardo]

Seems like I remember BGW or another park down nc something similar last spring and it was very much like Epcot's food and wine.